The black godfather: the unpublished story of the man who brandished Hollywood | Movie

SSurrounded by dark woods, sitting in a soft chair, crooked fingers and gray hair combed back, sits a sagacious Clarence Avant. His attitude is calm but slightly serious, while he tells the stories of stars who have turned him into a major figure of Hollywood. He states unequivocally: "Life is one thing: numbers. Nothing else. "

Netflix's new documentary The Black Godfather, which traces its influence across different stars, from Barack Obama to Snoop Dogg, was impressed by Avant's know-how. The film, which addresses the idea of ​​legacy and influence, highlights a stellar figure too long in the shadows.

Despite his belief that numerical value is a determining factor in life, what he has done, according to producer and executive director Reginald Hudlin, goes beyond the numbers. "We tried to calculate what he did and the opportunities he generated – we could not understand it. It's too complicated, the number would be too high, "he told the Guardian.

Born in South Carolina, Avant grew up extremely poor in a segregated south that had few opportunities to offer black men. He then escaped after a failed attempt to poison his abusive father-in-law and joined his aunt in New Jersey. There, he started a new life dramatically, although he only finished the ninth grade. He had his first chance after working in a salon in Newark, where he was approached by Joseph G. Glaser, who thought he'd make a good agent. Through a series of business decisions, his keen sense quickly spread to music, sports, television, movies, and even politics, when it was an unexpected choice.

Al Sharpton recounts his first meeting with the tycoon: "I was looking for a tall, imposing man. And at that time, everyone was brilliant, damn white and curly hair. They called it "beautiful hair". And that very little dark-skinned brother came in, he was very emphatic, you know, like a guy, like an uncle at a meeting. "

Although his physical stature is small, his legacy is huge with athletes such as Jim Brown and Hank Aaron, musicians such as Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and Bill Withers, leaders like Andre Harrell and David Geffen, politicians like Andrew Young and Barack Obama. , all ascribing to Avant (affectionately called the Godfather) a boost in their careers.

For years, Avant was harbaded to write a book about his experiences. He always refused, but discovered the opportunity to make an intriguing documentary. He personally chose Hudlin, director of House Party and Marshall, for the project, inspiring of some sort of theme of his life: the selection of talented blacks to share the loot of a world sparkling. If WEB DuBois created and cultivated the talented Tenth, Avant is the conservative Bootstrap Black Hollywood, gone without his flowers for too long. For Hudlin, a film about Avant is natural: "Clarence is an important figure in American history … It would be wrong not to celebrate it."

While Avant's name is not synonymous with snapshots for Hollywood stars, Avant is part of the club. In the film, Jim Brown, a footballer and actor in the Hall of Fame, discusses the silent takeover of Before: "There were so many question marks at that time, racially, and Hollywood had its own power and here, there was an African-American in Hollywood defying what Hollywood was supposed to be. "

Obama said, "He understands that there are different types of power. There is power that deserves attention, but also one that comes from behind the scenes. He credits himself with Before having placed in a niche hours of big feast for the 2004 Democratic convention for a speech that ultimately strengthened his political profile.

A legacy like Avant's comes to a certain extent, which shows all the people who have chosen to talk to the camera about the impact it has had on their lives. At first, Hudlin thought it would only take a year, but it quickly increased because of the dozens of big names that Avant has sponsored. In the end, the director conducted more than 75 interviews in three years.

"It's just a lot of people he has touched in so many different areas that we had to continue to do, if we had to do justice to history," says Hudlin. According to him, it was really the only major obstacle they had to overcome during the filming process. "So many powerful people are saying amazing ideas. Combining all this material and understanding the story was definitely a challenge. Often, I asked people about the same stories because I wanted to listen to them from different angles, mainly because some of them are so incredible that you have to hear them from multiple sources to confirm their stories. veracity. "

Before for Hudlin, Avant embodies the eminence of great black historical figures who were crazy enough to dream and even more crazy to dare. He hopes the film will inspire.

"Telling a story that is very specific to black culture does not limit its appeal … The nuances and details of black culture and black life are things that I know very well, so I know I can tell these stories. stories very authentically, "Hudlin says He continues:" With Blacks still struggling to get the full representation, telling our stories with integrity is very important, both for us and for the rest of the world. "Show the full reach of our humanity is very important. "

These are the cornerstones by which Avant built his life. "Yes, I have helped a lot of people, but my job is to make progress, period," says the music director, mediator, mentor and political activist in the documentary. Benny Medina, creator of the new prince of Bel-Air, said in the movie: "It's not even like he's the bridge. He is the way. "